Sporterising

Sporterising, sporterisation, or sporterization refers to the practice of modifying military-type firearms either to make them suitable for civilian sporting use or to make them legal under the law.

Modifying for sporting use

Modifying for sporting use can involve the addition of a commercial, variable power Telescopic sight, the shortening of the fore-end, and (in some cases) the fitting of a new stock. Sporterised rifles may also be chrome plated or otherwise customised to the tastes or requirements of the individual owner- for example, shortening the barrel, adding a flash suppressor, or even rechambering the firearm in a different calibre.

Large numbers of military surplus rifles were sporterised in the 1950s and 1960s- especially Lee-Enfield, M1903 Springfield, and Mauser K98 rifles, which were in abundant supply after WWII, and therefore cheaper to acquire than a newly manufactured commercial hunting rifle.

SMLE Mk III rifles, in particular, were popular for sporterisation in Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, with many being converted to wildcat calibres such as .303/25 owing to both the difficulties of importing foreign-made rifles (due largely to economic factors), and also restrictions in the state of New South Wales on the ownership of firearms "of a military calibre", interpreted to mean the .303 British cartridge then in use by the British and Commonwealth militaries. Even in states and countries where there were no such restrictions, many sporting shooters at the time found it expedient to cut down their ex-military SMLEs, in the interests of reducing weight or improving handling.

The practice of sporterising is now frowned upon, as military surplus rifles are highly collectible in original condition, and commercial hunting rifles are now affordable enough- and available in a wide enough range of configurations and calibres- to render the practice of sporterisation unnecessary at best, and near-vandalism at worst.

A number of "Commercial" sporting conversions of military surplus arms were undertaken in the 1950s by the Gibbs Rifle Co. and Navy Arms in the USA. These rifles are often considered to be collectible in their own right, and are not generally regarded as being "sporterised" in the usual sense of the word.

Modifying for compliance with legislation

The term "sporterising" is also used by some gun control advocates to describe the practice by gun manufacturers of producing civilian models of military-style weapons by removing legally restricted features. For example, a manufacturer might replace a pistol grip with a thumb-hole stock, or a flash suppressor with a muzzle brake in order to comply with the US Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Some gun-control advocates consider these civilian models an attempt to circumvent the intent of the laws. [Editors (2004), [http://www.firearmslawcenter.org/library/reports_analyses/Banning_Assault_Weapons_A_Legal_Primer_8.05_entire.pdf Banning Assault Weapons: A Primer for State and Local Action."] . Publication of the Legal Community Against Violence. page 4.]

References